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On this day, March 20, 1947, Count Gore de Vol was born.
Count Gore de Vol
Dick Dyszel in his "Count Gore de Vol" alter ego
Nationality: American
Other names: Dick Dyszel
Occupation(s): Television personality, interviewer
Website: Website of Dick Dyszel and Count Gore de Vol
Count Gore de Vol is a television horror host who originally appeared on Washington, D.C.'s WDCA from 1973 to 1987. Originally named M.T. Graves and played by announcer Dick Dyszel, the character first appeared on the WDCA version of the Bozo the Clown program. When the character got a positive reaction, he was given his own program, called Creature Feature. The choice of Gore de Vol as the character's name was either a pun involving the name of acerbic author Gore Vidal or the name of a prominent Washington, D.C. funeral home, "de Vol". Gore de Vol became the Washington/Baltimore area's longest-running horror host, broadcast every Saturday night on WDCA from March 1973 to May 1987. He returned to the D.C. airwaves for a one-time special, Countdown with the Count, on New Year's Eve 1999.
Background
Count Gore de Vol's contribution to the American horror host tradition is significant in a number of ways. As Washington D.C.'s horror host throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s, Gore used the platform to satirize national politics from a local perspective. In the era of the Watergate scandal and Iran–Contra affair, Count Gore took frequent shots at the political folly with an ad lib, shoot-from-the-hip style that led local audiences to feel they were part of an Inside the Beltway private joke even when the subject was high profile.
Count Gore De Vol and John Dimes at Raven Con 17 in 2023
Count Gore's Creature Feature also embraced the sexual revolution of the 1970s, and his guests for the show included several Penthouse Pets. Though he never had an official sidekick, he frequently employed the talents of writer and actress Eleanor Herman in the role of Countess von Stauffenberger. The two played off each other with a series of romantic near misses and sexual innuendos that made the show a success even when many horror hosts were losing their shows in the wake of the original Saturday Night Live.
Gore's iconoclastic style surfaced in a number of other ways. He was the first host in America to broadcast an unedited version of Night of the Living Dead. He also began transmitting his own show in stereophonic sound a week before his station officially made the announcement, making Creature Feature Washington's first stereo broadcast.
{snip}
Dick Dyszel in his "Count Gore de Vol" alter ego
Nationality: American
Other names: Dick Dyszel
Occupation(s): Television personality, interviewer
Website: Website of Dick Dyszel and Count Gore de Vol
Count Gore de Vol is a television horror host who originally appeared on Washington, D.C.'s WDCA from 1973 to 1987. Originally named M.T. Graves and played by announcer Dick Dyszel, the character first appeared on the WDCA version of the Bozo the Clown program. When the character got a positive reaction, he was given his own program, called Creature Feature. The choice of Gore de Vol as the character's name was either a pun involving the name of acerbic author Gore Vidal or the name of a prominent Washington, D.C. funeral home, "de Vol". Gore de Vol became the Washington/Baltimore area's longest-running horror host, broadcast every Saturday night on WDCA from March 1973 to May 1987. He returned to the D.C. airwaves for a one-time special, Countdown with the Count, on New Year's Eve 1999.
Background
Count Gore de Vol's contribution to the American horror host tradition is significant in a number of ways. As Washington D.C.'s horror host throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s, Gore used the platform to satirize national politics from a local perspective. In the era of the Watergate scandal and Iran–Contra affair, Count Gore took frequent shots at the political folly with an ad lib, shoot-from-the-hip style that led local audiences to feel they were part of an Inside the Beltway private joke even when the subject was high profile.
Count Gore De Vol and John Dimes at Raven Con 17 in 2023
Count Gore's Creature Feature also embraced the sexual revolution of the 1970s, and his guests for the show included several Penthouse Pets. Though he never had an official sidekick, he frequently employed the talents of writer and actress Eleanor Herman in the role of Countess von Stauffenberger. The two played off each other with a series of romantic near misses and sexual innuendos that made the show a success even when many horror hosts were losing their shows in the wake of the original Saturday Night Live.
Gore's iconoclastic style surfaced in a number of other ways. He was the first host in America to broadcast an unedited version of Night of the Living Dead. He also began transmitting his own show in stereophonic sound a week before his station officially made the announcement, making Creature Feature Washington's first stereo broadcast.
{snip}
That would be the first television broadcast with the audio in stereo.
Kids' Shows at DC Memories, Dick Dyszel's Page
It turns out that he has a free channel on Roku.
So, how can you add "Count Gore De Vol Presents" to your Roku device? It is so easy!
The weekend of April 26 - 28, 2024, I'll be a guest at Ravencon 17 in Richmond, VA.
This is a scary good gathering of horror fans with a great mix of celebrities, panels and over 3oo hours of programming!
Get full details at www.Ravencon.com AND you can now add this appearance to your Facebook Events List!
On Saturday night, May 4, 2024, I'll return to the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD to live host the epic Sci-fi/Horror film, "Forbidden Planet." Starring Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielson, Anne Francis & Robby the Robot, this movie was filmed in Cinemascope and really has to be seen on the huge AFI Cinemascope Screen!
I'll bring along video clips of my TV and Internet shows, we'll have a contest and a fan favorite guest co-host! You can also add this appearance to your Facebook Events List!
Tickets are now available HERE!
